REDMOND, Wash. (AP) 鈥 Charles Martinet, the original voice of Mario in Nintendo games since the 1990s, is stepping down.
Nintendo of America confirmed Monday that Martinet will now serve in the role of 鈥淢ario Ambassador," traveling around the world to promote the beloved plumber, signing autographs and performing Nintendo character voices.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a privilege working with Charles to help bring Mario to life for so many years and we want to thank and celebrate him,鈥 Nintendo said in a statement.
In addition to being the original voice of Mario, he鈥檚 also voiced Luigi, Wario and Waluigi in the video games. While he did not voice Mario in , he did have a small role as Mario鈥檚 dad.
In a question and answer session at a 好色tv gaming and comics expo two years ago, Martinet 鈥淚 want to voice Mario until I drop dead鈥 in response to a fan's question, according to gaming blog The Game Crater. But he added 鈥渋f someday I think I am no longer capable of doing it, I will tell Nintendo to look into finding someone else.鈥
Nintendo did not give say why Martinet is stepping down or who would replace him as Mario's voice.
